What does the future of gaming look like?

An immersive virtual world is finally on the verge of becoming a reality

With the imminent arrival of virtual reality technology such
as Oculus Rift and Sony’s PlayStation VR, it appears that it’s time, once
again, to announce Virtual Reality as the future of the gaming world. VR has
been touted as the next big thing ever since Nintendo’s Virtual Boy was
released, way back in 1995. Massive commercial and critical failure it may have
been, but times have changed and the technology is readier than ever to deliver
on its promise.

What does this mean for today’s aspiring game developers, or
even the current crop already working in the industry? Are they going to have
to relearn the craft? Are the days of indie geeks lovingly crafting a world in
code from darkened bedrooms gone forever? Probably not. Not only does the
industry standard games engine, Unreal Engine, include VR development tools
with the latest release, but Unity, the favourite tool for home-made software,
allows anyone to create professional-level games and publish them for all the
major platforms.

VR still has some kinks (motion sickness, headaches, cost), but
the fact that the leading names in the games industry are all making moves
towards it says a lot. According to a leaked report from investment bank Goldman
Sachs, the VR and augmented reality industry will be worth an estimated $80
billion by 2025. Whatever happens, the virtual world is finally about to become
a reality.

Interested in games development? Come and see our in-house
Interactive Systems Studio and specialist lab at our next Open Day. Register here.